Dress shirt into onesie...

This is very simple to do.

 I measured 11" from the top of the shirt along the buttonplacket and cut off the bottom.

On my grandson, I needed 5" of the bottom of a onesie in his size. 24mo.

i sewed the onesie bottom to the bottom of the shirt right sides together. make sure

you put the front of the onesie on the front side of the shirt :)

These will stay tucked in when you want the little man to look his best....

Have fun!

Look what we made.....

We started this project 33 years ago tomorrow. December 19, 1978

 

I think we did a great job and just think, we're not finished yet!

Mmm Mmm Good

Source: flickr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

So cold weather always makes me want tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwhiches!  I was reading on Word of Wisdom Living about soup and it was recommend to find Nordstrom's Tomato Basil recipe and try it out...so I did.  I've never made tomato basil soup and I've never had Nordstrom's version either.  All the recipes I saw were the same but this one supposedly came straight from the cafe's own cookbook.

From Studiozoe on Flickr:

"I realized, when writing this, that I didn't do it exactly like the cookbook calls...so technically I'm not violating any copyrights since it isn't the same recipe! It's better my way:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon dried basil
4 cans whole tomatoes in puree
6 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons
In a 7,5 liter stockpot (a really big one!) over medium heat, warm the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots, onion, and dried basil and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes, including the puree, and the broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes to blend the flavors.
Remove from the heat. Using a stick-immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot. (if you don't have one of those, get one! or, working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade.)
Return the pureed soup to the saucepan, add the cream, and place over medium heat. Warm until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into a warmed soup tureen or individual bowls, garnish with the basil, and serve immediately.

Be warned, this recipe is a double-batch. It EASILY serves 12-15. Halve this for a normal-sized starter to feed 6. I made the mistake of just starting to cook...and then I realized I'd have to get out a second stockpot! And yes, use DRIED basil. If you use fresh basil to start, it'll just lose all its flavor. This is one of the few times (oregano is another) where I have no problem using the dried stuff."

I halved the recipe.  The smell of the vegetables and basil sauteing was worth cooking it in and of itself!  The soup tasted really yummy like promised. Next time I'll puree it a little more than I did but that's all I'd do differently.

Simple Christmas

We're moving in a week!  Because of this I haven't done much for Christmas.  I don't want to have to pack it and haul it to a new house, so I'll be shopping after the move.  Also because the family is getting a new house there will be quite a few necessities to purchase so our Christmas will be simple this year.
 

Source: dandee-designs.com via Tamsin on Pinterest

I'm in love with the want, need, wear, read concept that is all over blogosphere.  I saw it a few years ago and have wanted to implement it, and now I have a great excuse!  I love how simple it makes gift giving, and it allows for more focus on the birth of the Savior too.  Since I haven't done my shopping, and I'm in bed sick today, I decided to make a list to share:

Just click on the picture to open it, then right click and "save file as."

The Nutcracker

Sarah Jane Studios does it again!  The moment I saw the Nutcracker puppets I purchased a copy...

Source: sarahjanestudios.com via Sarah on Pinterest

You can see an entire blog post on these beautiful, printable puppets...So much fun!

Peter Pan Costumes

 This year we decided to do Peter Pan - since I already had a pirate costume to fit my 3 year old!  I made
Tinkerbell and Peter's costumes this year. 

 I saw Make it and Love it's Peter Pan tutorial and copied it for ours.  Super easy.  I found the felt hat at DI a while ago, it worked perfectly.

For miss Tinkerbell I started to use Butterick 6660 pattern:

Source: butterick.mccall.com via Sarah on Pinterest

But was quickly annoyed with all the layers of tulle.  Instead of following the patterns instructions, I just took all the layers of tulle and pleated the whole skirt then sewed across the top to keep the pleats.  Then I created the leaves per the pattern (I only made half of what it called for) and pinned them on top of the skirt and added the waist band to cover the seams. I liked the leaves puffier so I didn't iron them down - I may iron them now - looking at the pics. I took the leaf pattern and copied it on my printer, scaling it to 50% for the necklace.  I made it the same way that I made the skirt leaves.  I purchased her tee, but it was a size 4/5 when she's a 24 month, so I cut off the sleeves, sewed up the sides then shortened the sleeves and reattached them.  I kept the shirt long to help cover her biking shorts underneath the tulle skirt.  I just bought the wings :). 

There you have it, super simple Halloween.

Footloose

So I went to see the new Footloose the other night and I loved it - especially Julianne Hough.  Can we say gorgeous?  So I decided to try to copy her hair:

I liked the way it turned out.  I used Motions Lotion to try to keep the curl, cause mine never lasts and it held up in the front all day - the back still went limp.  I did actually wear that belt, and my cowgirl boots too!  Now to convince my hubby to take me line dancing...

Another form of Journaling

Source: flickr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Lorna on Pinterest

Ok so I love calendar journaling and I did it for years. In high school my best friend started writing down everything we/she did on her wall calendar in her bedroom. It rocked so I started doing it in my Franklin planner, on the monthly pages. I did it all through high school, college and my mission. It's so fun to pull them out and look back on things I've done that I would never remember other wise. Like dates that totally sucked and are very laugh worthy now and great girls' night out moment too.

I'm taking it up again, it's a quick way to record events and I can go back to journal more later too if I want to.  Plus I'll be able to remind the kids of things we did when they complain as adults of never doing anything - cause that's bound to happen :).

Smash Books

Source: elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

If you don't know what a Smash book is, here's a video:

Catchy right? Ok so I love the concept.  I've started to do this for my personal journal - you know all those sayings we keep pinning on pinterest?

 I just print them off - mini style- and tape them into my journal.  They usually have some meaning toward things in my life - I mean they're realitive enough for me to pin them right?

I also smash small pics, ticket stubs, memos, notes, what ever fits with that entry.  It's kind of an original scrapbook - you know old school style - with more writing than anything else. For great inspiration, just search smash book on pinterest - awesome!

I also do it for my scripture/gospel study.  Here is a great resource for setting up a scripture journal and how to size documents to tape into your journal.

Now I can't just sit there smashing everything while my kids are getting into my 'stuff' can I?  So I got them their own Smash books too:

I just bought composition books on clearance and let them cut and glue and color what ever they want.  It has repeatedly entertained them for hours - no joke! If only I had known this forever ago :)!

So here's to smashing!

keep the gospel message with you...

sarah found a variety of things like this to keep Pres. Uchtdorf's message with you....

found on pintrest

Measure up

I've been admiring these growth charts that look like giant rulers, for my boys room.

  I came across this one from Just Something I Made.  It's a free printable!  I just printed it off, taped it together and then took it to my local copier to have it laminated.

 So easy and super cute!  I've marked all my kids current heights and am happy to have a way to record their growth.

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

Picture via Elise at Simply Recipes

Oh my this soup was so yummy! I found it here via Pinterest I love soups in the fall and I love spicy food so I got two of my favorite things in one! I used the canned pumpkin and did 6 cups of chicken broth. It was the perfect consistency once I ran my immersion blender through it. I used 2 adobe peppers so it was a little to spicy to feed to the kids so next time I will add the peppers or chipotle powder slowly and taste it as I go. It was so good topped with cilantro!

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup Recipe


If canned chipotle in adobo is not available, you can use chipotle powder, start with one teaspoon and increase to taste. If chipotle powder is not available, use 1/2 teaspoon of regular chili powder, increasing to taste, and a dash of liquid smoke. Note that fresh pumpkins vary in their moisture content, so you may need to add more liquid, either water or stock, to get to the consistency you want, depending on how thick or thin you would like your soup to be.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1-2 chipotle peppers (canned in adobo, 1 for mild, 2 for spicy), chopped

8 cups chopped, cooked pumpkin* (1 7-8 pound cooking pumpkin to yield 8 cups cooked pumpkin, or 3 15-ounce cans of canned pumpkin)

4 to 6 cups chicken stock, depending on desired thickness and how thick your pumpkin purée is (use vegetable stock for vegetarian option, can sub water for some of the stock)

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

2 teaspoons salt, more to taste

2 Tbsp lime juice

Garnishes:
Toasted, shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Cilantro
Creme fresca, creme fraiche or sour cream thinned with a little water so that it's runny

*To cook fresh pumpkin, use a good cooking pumpkin (i.e. sugar pumpkin, fairytale pumpkin, hubbard, or kabocha pumpkin), cut in half, scoop out the seeds, place the pumpkin cut side down on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for about an hour, or until soft. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh or cut away the skin. Let cool. Freeze for long term storage.

Method

1 Heat oil in a large pot (8-quart) on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and chipotle, cook for 1 minute more.

2 Add the pumpkin, chicken stock, oregano, and salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, partially covered.

3 If you are working with raw pumpkin seeds, now would be a good time to toast them. (If your pumpkin seeds are already toasted, skip this step.) Just spread them out in an even layer in a frying pan on medium high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon while toasting, until the pumpkin seeds are fragrant and are lightly browned. Remove to a bowl.

4 Remove the soup from heat. Working in batches of 2 cups each, purée the soup in batches, holding down the lid the your blender tightly while puréeing, and starting on a slow speed. Return the puréed soup to the pot.

5 Add lime juice. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more salt, cumin, oregano, or chipotle to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more stock or water to desired consistency.

Serve with toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), crema fresca drizzled over the top, and chopped cilantro.
Yield: Makes 2 to 2 1/2 quarts.

Taco Soup

here is another yummy and easy soup recipe.  it took 15 min to make. i served

it with corn bread....yum!

 

 

Turkey Taco Soup

 

1 lb ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

cook together until turkey is cooked.

Add:

1-8oz can tomato sauce

1-10oz can rotel tomatoes with green chillies

1-15oz can corn, drained

1-15 oz can kidney beans, drained

1-16oz can refried beans

1 pkg taco seasoning

2 1/2 c chicken broth

 

Simmer on med-low for 15 min or until your corn bread is done!

Top the bowls of soup with chips, green onion, sour cream, grated cheese, avacados, or whatever you like....

 

this recipe is from a blog called skinnytaste.  you can make it healthier by using low sodium, low fat versions.

Scripture Paper dolls

To go along with Anna's quiet pouches I found these scripture paper dolls on The Redheaded Hostess' site.  She is a seminary teacher for our church and has great references for scripture study etc - that could be used for anyone.  I thought these dolls would be great in one of the pouches - maybe minus the background?

Hair pretties

 These top ones are flowers and butterflies that Gram crochet, a long time ago.

These were cute scrapbooking embelishments that were gifted by my girlfriend for my b-day. I finally got to the beauty supply to get aligator clips to make the pretties. My 4 yr old and I had a crafting party, we jammed out to disney music on Pandora, snacked on raw almonds and she helped me hot glue the ribbon and embelishments to the clips. It was a wild, wild party.

pumpkin from a book

i saw these on pintrest and decided they would be fun to make with my program. they loved\

how they turned out. so fun and easy...

Earings

 I had some buttons, I thought they were cute enough to wear on my ears so I made Earings. I am so creative!

Quiet Pouches

I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself. I'm Anna, I'm the one in Minnesota. A little history about me. I used to craft and create A LOT and then I had a baby, I lost all desire and time to do any creating well I just got that itch back! Oh did I mention my baby is 16 months old. Wow! Kinda like loosing the baby weight right? Oh wait am I the only one that works their toosh off and the weight just starts to come off 14 months post pardom? Sorry I just got side tracked, back to the creating. I'm doing it again but starting slow.

Since said 16 month old is now a toddler and a bit of a handful at times, especially in situations like church I decided I needed to do something new for our church bag. The cars I had in the bag for him were not cutting it and so NOT quiet. I found this via Pinterest, and knew that would be the perfect idea.


So I gathered things we already had at home and bought 6 pouches for 97 cents a piece at walmart.

                          Lacing dress up Dolls (did I mention I have 4 yr old Daughter too?)

                              Dry erase board and Crayons. I stuck in a microfiber wipe to wipe off the crayon.

                                More gender nuetral lacing cards

                            Lottle notebooks, fun pens, rubber stamps, and stickers

                                                                       Finger puppets

Velcro fabric dress up dolls.

I also have little puzzles, lacing beads, little plastic animals, matching games, tiny books that I switch out week to week. There are endless ideas of things to fill these bags with. So far it has worked great and my kids are occupied and quiet ;)

Soup's On!

I've been anxious to make soup. I found this recipe online. It is Yummy!

 

Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup

 

1-2 t evoo

1/2 sweet onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 t basil

1/4 t oregano

heat oil on medium heat and add the above ingredients and cook 5-6 min then add:

2 cloves minced garlic

cook for a minute and add:

6 c chicken broth

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained

salt and pepper to taste

cover and cook for 30 min til veggies are tender and add:

1/2 c orzo

cook 8 min and add:

1 c zuchinni, diced

1 c yellow squash, diced

2 c fresh spinach

cook for 2 more min or so

ladle it into bowls and put feta cheese on top

 

I used only 4 c broth, tomatoes from the garden, and two cans of beans

It has 19g protein in each serving.  Better than meat, if you ask me!

Back to Creating - and recipe

Ok so it's been far too longs since I've actually made something to share!  I have a long list of projects to finish this fall/winter and hopefully will be posting many soon.  I've added a list of my projects to be done on the side bar - to hold me accountable to finish them. Also new to the sidebar are our Pinterest boards for you to look at.  For now here is a yummy recipe for Olive Garden's Zupa Tuscana soup, a family favorite around here:

*Update: you can cook this in the slow cooker! pre-cook the sausage then place everything but cream and kale in the cooker on high for 3-4 hours. Turn it off add cream and kale, replace lid until warmed through.

i've been sewing....

i got the quilt for my guest bed done so i decided to embroider and sew up

a pitllow for the bed and i even made a little baby ensamble for one of the babies

coming up... one better be a girl!

Newspaper Article

Here's a link to the newspaper article on mom's new office:
http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/08/30/rise-inc-facility-relocates-ogden

Pretty cool!

Sewing Machine Cover Tutorial

We've shown a lot of sewing machine covers on this blog and we recieved a request for the tutorial. We used Nap Time Journal's tutorial .  Very easy and super cute...

Pizza from Scratch

 

OK so I've never made any kind of dough on my own - ever. I've only helped my husband with his sourdough in minor ways. I really wanted to make my own pizza dough but I don't have it in me to make things ahead of time, or to let them rise etc. Well last night we were craving pizza and it was too late to order any so we didn't give in to the impulse. That only made me want it more for lunch today. So, I found this No Rise Pizza Crust  recipe (thanks to The Finer Things in Life) and went to work.

 It was super easy and took  no time at all - perfect!  I threw on toppings that we had in the fridge - pesto for the sauce, left over italian sausage mixed with spinach, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, olives, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Delish and a hit!